


Starting Anew

by corgi_loaf



Category: Ma (2019)
Genre: F/M, PTSD, Spoilers, Trauma, after events, death mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-06 20:49:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19070416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corgi_loaf/pseuds/corgi_loaf
Summary: After the events of Ma, the teens try to live their lives as normal as possible but that proves to be harder for some rather than others.SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE MA





	1. Chapter 1

In an instant, the house was up in flames. Ma’s haunting face peering through the curtains was the last I saw if her before my mom and Stu got all of us in the car. No one said a word until we were far away from _that_ house. I sat in the back next to Haley who could not hold back her tears, with Chaz next to her and Darnel and Genie peering over from the third row of seats. Andy lay across our laps, breathing slow. I held his hand tight in mine and every couple of minutes he would let out a pained whine. I rubbed his hand with my thumb, closing my eyes so I wouldn’t have to see him in pain. My mom sighed and looked back from the passenger’s seat.  
“We’ll be at the hospital soon, Andy is gonna be okay.” She said softly, fear still lingering in her voice.  
I slowly nodded, not opening my eyes until the car stopped. My mom and Stu got out, opening the doors for us. Stu picked up Andy with ease, and mom held out her hand to me. I took it and soon we were all in the hospital, surrounded by worried nurses. The doctors took Andy first, then Chaz and Haley were taken to other rooms to get a better look at their injuries. I sat in the waiting room next to Genie who nervously biting her fingernails.  
“Momma always told me I was sick.. She wouldn’t let me go to school or party or anything.. what’s wrong with me?” She didn’t look up from nails.  
“There’s nothing wrong with you.” I whispered, still a bit hoarse from almost being hung.  
She sighed and continued to bite her nails. Mom sat down next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.  
“Maggie.” She kissed my head, “I’m so sorry.”  
I stayed quiet, closing my eyes and trying not to relive the horrifying events in my head. Seeing all my friends suffer.. us all trapped like dogs on leashes. Sue Ann was insane. No matter what kind of torment she went through in high school is nothing compared to the torment she inflicted on us.  
A doctor came over to us, informing us that Andy had lost a lot of blood but he was going to be okay since the blade didn’t pierce any internal organs. I let out a sigh of relief.  
“Is he awake? Can I talk to him?” I barely got out between my short nervous breaths.  
He shook his head, telling me that he was asleep. I nodded and looked at my mom who had an unfamiliar sadness in her eyes. I hugged her tightly as though I was afraid to let go. What if somehow she escaped the fire. What if my mom hadn’t come for us. Would we all be dead now? Or she kill all of us except Andy to keep as her little play toy. The idea of it made my blood boil. Why on earth would he kiss her? Why would he say he loves her? Was it just to prolong his inevitable death. Either way, we were lucky to make it out of there. The same can’t be said for Ashley but I barely knew her. Still, she didn’t deserve to burn in the same house as that creep.

* * *

 

After a couple days, the five us of all returned to school. Haley had scars all along her lips, both Andy and Chaz chose to wear more layers than usual to cover their wounds, and Darnel wasn’t as cheery as he usually was. And all of us had deep red marks on our necks from those disgusting dog collars. Andy took my hand, his fingers trembling as we walked into class. We sat in the back to avoid talking to anyone and when I tried to kiss his cheek, he tensed up and pulled away from me. I nodded, realizing he needed more time before he was comfortable with kissing anyone again. I don’t blame him, the last time it got him stabbed. The teacher didn’t pay much attention to us since he had seen the news stories. Same with the other students who barely looked at us, and when they did, they had worry and sadness in their eyes.  
The school seemed to go by slower than it ever has. Lunch was finally the time were all of us could be alone together and we spent it in the same place that I had first had lunch here, the study room. We sat around the table and tried to exchange small smiles. Haley took a deep breath and looked up.  
“I don’t think I’ll be giving my number out to anyone for a long time.” She let out a soft chuckle.  
“And I might need to go sober.” Chaz joked, making us all a little more comfortable.  
We attempted a normal conversation but the whole time, I couldn’t take my eyes off Andy. He looked so broken, like all the light had been taken from him. His father was dead, his spirit was gone, and he would always have a reminder on him of what happened.  
“I need to go.” He said softly, not looking at anyone as he grabbed his coat and left the study room.  
We all watched him go but no one went after him. He needed space, we respected that. We couldn’t deny that he had suffered the most from this.

* * *

 

Days turned to weeks and weeks to months and eventually we calmed down. Not entirely, but enough to at least pretend everything was normal. Andy ended up in a foster home and only really left the house to go to school. No one bothered to invite him out, knowing he wouldn’t be up to him. We didn’t seem to go on any dates that weren’t at his foster house or sitting next to each on a bench outside of the school. Eventually, he kissed me again. It was sudden, we were talking about math homework when he got silent before leaning in and kissing me. I held his face in my hands, kissing him back. After a minute, we let go and stared into each others’ eyes. We didn’t say a word and he rested his head on my shoulder, letting me gently stroke his hair. He was never really all that confident but after what happened, any confidence he had had been drained out of him, leaving him a hollow shell of who he once was. I loved him too much to let him go through this alone, he needed someone there for him. Haley joined us on the bench after a minute.  
“Hey you guys wanna go get some pizza?” She asked, giving a gentle look to Andy.  
He slowly nodded, not looking up and I told her yes. She smiled and helped us both up, bringing us over to her car. After everything that happened, I didn’t think Haley’s parents would let her get her license, let alone her dad’s old Buick. Chaz and Darnel were sitting in the back, Andy joining them and I sat in the passenger’s seat. Chaz gave Andy a look, nudging him with his elbow. Andy gives him a soft chuckle as a response making Chaz smile.  
Haley got in the car and turned it on, slowly backing out of the school’s parking lot and into the street. The pizza place was only down the block but the car ride felt like a year with a deafening silence falling over us. Not a word was said until Haley parked and said, “We’re here.”  
We all got out and went inside, going straight for a booth in the back. We each ordered our drinks and two large cheese pizzas for us all to share. Chaz went on to order a side of buffalo wings and Haley rolled her eyes playfully. He chuckled at her and downed a wing the moment they arrived. Andy stared down at the slice on his plate, not bothering to touch it until he saw me staring at him. He slowly brought it to his mouth and took a bite. I sighed and ate some of mine. 


	2. Chapter 2

 

**Andy's POV**

I stared up at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep but every time I closed my eyes I saw her face. If I had just listened to Maggie and not gone back to her house. I sighed and rolled onto my side, grabbing my phone from its charger. Maggie had sent me goodnight texts with heart emojis. I smiled a bit at them, deciding to call her. It took one ring for her to answer.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, her voice was as sweet as ever.

“I can’t sleep, I just wanted to hear your voice.” I mumbled, holding my phone close to my ear.

“I’m always here for you Andy.” She cooed.

“Thank you.” A tear fell from my eye. “My chest hurts.”

“Just deep breathes, okay? Everything is okay.” Her gentle tone reassured me as I took slow deep breaths.

Before this all happened, I had never had a panic attack. Sure I felt anxious from time to time but I never felt like I couldn’t breathe just by thinking of her horrid face.  _ Ma…  _ That word haunted me every time it came into my head. I groaned as I rolled onto my other side. Maggie let out gentle shh’s and I tried to relax. 

“I’m sorry.” I hadn’t realized I was crying until the words barely escaped my sobs.

“It’s okay, you didn’t do anything wrong.” 

“I kissed her, I said I loved her.” I cried, my fingers trembling as I clutched the phone.

“You were scared, we were all scared. There wasn’t much that any of us could do.”

I didn’t answer, just quietly sobbed and tried not to wake anyone in the house. I think not being at home was the biggest problem. I couldn’t avoid feeling the pain of what happened when I’m constantly reminded of it. Dad… sure he was a huge dick sometimes but.. that didn’t mean he should have been barbecued with a psychopath. Maggie whispered it’s okay over and over, her voice melting away some of my fear. I let out a short pained breath and I could hear her gulp, her voice getting a bit louder and her words becoming faster. I sat up and looked out the window. I felt like I was on another planet, like Maggie was millions of miles away. 

“Maggie..” I mumbled between sobs.

“Yes?” She sounded worried.

“I love you.” I whispered.

“I love you too, never forget that.” 

I smiled a bit, tearing still rushing down my face and soaking my shirt. I sniffled and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. I told Maggie I was getting tired and after we said our goodbyes, she said I love you again and hung up. 

I put my phone back on the charger and curled up, facing the window. Eventually I drifted to sleep. But I wish I hadn’t.

* * *

 

_ I opened my eyes to see the horrifying fates my friends had suffered. Haley’s mouth was sewn shut, as though she was an old rag doll that was losing stuffing. Chaz laid on the ground with red welts covered his chest in the shape of an iron. Darnel next to Haley, his face covered in white paint. And worst of all, Maggie tied to a pole and staring at him fear filling her eyes. Ma stood over his friends, eyeing them with a wicked smile. I don’t know what came over me I mumbled out, “Ma?” I looked over at the woman, noticing Maggie shaking her head out of the corner of my eye. When I tried to stand, Ma came over and I collapsed into her arms. I had to think of something to do, something to distract her from hurting my friends anymore. The effects of the drugs she used still lingered in my head and my body. It felt like she was making me dance with her, spinning us slowly in a circle and saying that we were the cutest couple, the only people in the world. I could only imagine the pain the sight of this was doing to Maggie. I could her her soft sobs as Ma stopped spinning and held me out a bit to look into my eyes. Her eyes reminded me of a snake’s, trying to hypnotize its prey. I don’t know what came over, but I leaned in and kissed her. I could tell she was enjoying every second of it but I couldn’t do this in front of Maggie. I pulled back after a second and looked at her, unable to think of anything to say except, “I love you.” She smiled for a second before an intense pain filled my abdomen. I let out a pained groan as she pulled a knife out and I fell to the ground. I could barely make out the word, LIAR, being yelled at me before I blacked out. _

I woke up in a cold sweat, quickly sitting up and grabbing my phone. I was breathing heavy as I called Maggie again. She answered quickly, telling me she was on the way here to pick me up for school. I mumbled a thank you before hanging up and laying back down. I don’t think that memory will ever stop haunting me. I closed my eyes, slowing my breaths until I calmed down. 

* * *

 

The whole day, I tried to think of anything except  _ that.  _ While the teacher talked on and on about  _ Lord of the Flies _ , I looked over at Chaz who was scrolling through instagram and completely ignoring her. After a while, she noticed he wasn’t paying attention and asked him how “how Jack used the beast to control the other boys”, only getting a dumbfounded expression in return. She came over and grabbed his phone out of his hand, telling him he’d get it back after class. I chuckled under my breath and he rolled his eyes at me.

“I was trying to plan a party with Haley, we haven’t been to one since..” His voice trailed off and I knew what he meant.

“You can count me out.” I whispered back to him.

“Come on man. It’ll be fun, just the five of us.”

“Parties are the last thing I want to do right now.”

He sighed and crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. He gave me a “you’ll come around look” and I rolled my eyes, looking at the teacher. 

* * *

 

After school, I met up with Maggie by her car. She was putting her backpack in the backseat when I came up to her. She smiled the moment she saw me, pulling me in for a hug. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her cheek, happy to see the light of my life again even if it had only been a few hours. 

“My mom is making dinner tonight if you want to join us.” She got into the driver’s seat as I opened the passenger door and got in.

“Sure. I’m not really feeling to up to going to my foster home right now.” 

She smiled, turning the car on and drove to her house. Her mom’s car was in the driveway when we arrived, she must have gotten out of work early today. When we walked inside, the smell of chicken and mashed potatoes filled the air. 

“Mom! Andy is here for dinner!” Maggie called, making Mrs. Thompson come into the living room.

“Oh Andy! It’s been too long!” She exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around me.

“Hi Mrs Thompson.” I slowly hugged back.

“Andy you know you can call me Erica.” She let go of me and turned to Maggie, giving her a hug as well.

“Okay Erica.” I said back, taking a seat on the couch.

Maggie joined me and leaned her head on my shoulder, grabbing the remote and turning on the tv. The first channel to come on was the news, playing some story about coffee shop scamming customers. Maggie flipped through the channels until she finally decided on  _ Freeform  _ which was playing it’s usual  _ Harry Potter  _ marathon. She put the remote back on the coffee table and kissed my cheek. I smiled back at her, kissing hers back. I heard a small groan at my feet and looked down to see Maggie’s dog, Louie, laying down at my feet. I flinched for a second and Maggie noticed, looking down at Louie.

“Andy what’s wrong?” She looked back at me, worry in her eyes.

“I don’t know.” I mumbled, looking back down at the dog. I’m glad that Louie was still alive since M-  _ that _ woman took his blood to kill my dad but there was something about him or maybe dogs in general that I had no intention of being around.

“Is it..” Her voice trailed off as she gestured to my neck as well as her own.

I nodded without even thinking about it and she understood, going over to the backdoor and calling Louie to go outside. He followed her voice and she closed the door behind him before re-joining me on the couch.

“Thank you.” I mumbled, switching positions so my head was on her shoulder this time. 

We watched some of the first movie before Erica called us into the kitchen for dinner. I sat next to Maggie, holding her hand under the table as her mom served us. We both said thank you and began to eat.

“How was school?” Erica asked, trying to make conversation.

“Good.” Maggie answered in between bites.

I nodded in return, “This is very good, thank you.”

Erica smiled at me, “Well I’m glad you like it.” She turned to Maggie, “Mags I gotta take Louie to the vet tomorrow before work. Could you pick him up for me?”

The mention of her former workplace made me lose my appetite. I put down my fork and glanced over at Maggie who just nodded in response. She squeezed my hand she was still holding and I took a deep breath. 

After dinner we helped Erica clean the dishes before Maggie and I went to her room. She flopped down on her bed and I joined her, laying next to her.

“Do you want to come with me tomorrow? I think facing the problem could help.” She ran her fingers through my hair.

“I..” I closed my eyes, “I’m scared I’ll walk in there and she’ll be sitting at the front desk.”

“I promise she won’t be.” 

“Maybe.” I opened my eyes and looked into hers, “How are you so okay? I feel like my life fell apart.”

“Because I know how hard this is on you, I’m staying strong for you.” She gently kissed my forehead, “She took everything from you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. I should have listened to you, I-” Tears started to fall as she cut me off.

“Andy it’s okay.” She wiped away some of my tears. “She manipulated you, she manipulated all of us, we didn’t realize what she was capable of.”

I tried to respond but my words turned into blubbering sobs. She held me close to her and rubbed my back for comfort. I gripped the back of her shirt and cried into her chest, feeling guilty about soaking it in tears. She didn’t seem to mind, holding me close in her arms. I shouldn’t have gone over that night, I should have listened to Maggie and stayed away, I should have stopped the others from going over there, I should have listened to my dad’s lectures about not trusting strangers, I should have- Dad.. Dad died because of me, because I trusted someone just because I felt bad about her sickness because I understood what she was going through. Whatever he did to her in high school didn’t mean that he deserved to be killed. Just because Mercedes was a douchebag didn’t mean she deserved to be roadkill. Just because- My thoughts ran rapidly through my head as I bawled. Maggie didn’t let go of me until my sobs got quieter. She pulled back and looked at me, her eyes giving me comfort. Those warm brown eyes that made me feel safe. I leaned in and kissed her, needing her touch, her warmth. She kissed back and when she pulled back she asked me if I wanted to stay the night. I nodded, not wanting to be away from her for a second. She called to her mom, telling her I would staying. Erica made a joke about leaving the door open so we wouldn’t “get it on”. I let out a small laugh between my sobs and Maggie smiled. 

“I love you, Andy, and I’ll always be here for you.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is shorter! I don't really have a story planned, I'm just coming up with it as I go

**Maggie**

I opened my eyes to see Andy laying beside me. He was still asleep, snoring softly and clutching one of my pillows. I got out of bed, trying hard not to wake him and went to the bathroom to shower. Hot water poured down my back soothing some nerves from my nightmare I had last night.

_ I couldn’t breathe, my neck felt like it would snap at any second. My vision seemed to go in and out as I gasped for breath. I looked down at my friends, all asleep and powerless to stop what was happening. My nails scratched my neck and the only noise that came out of my mouth was intense choking noises. I’m going to die.. I’m going to die.. Tears welled up in my eyes as I felt the last of my breaths coming to a halt. Just before I passed out, my body fell to the ground and I sucked in all the air I possibly could. I choked as I looked behind me and saw Genie. _

I took a deep breath, letting the water engulf me as I sat down in the tub and clutched my knees. You have to stay strong.. The words filled my head as I thought of Andy. Andy.. Every time I heard him cry and saw the broken look in his eyes, my heart ached. I moved the hair out of face and stood back up, finishing my shower before turning the water off and going back to my room. Andy was still asleep. He looked so peaceful. I closed my door and opened the closet, pulling out stripped tee and some overalls. I got changed before sitting on the bed beside Andy, gently shaking his shoulder to wake him up. His eyes shot open and he quickly scrambled to his knees, backing into the headboard.

“I’m sorry!” I exclaimed, getting off the bed.

It took a couple seconds for him to calm down and realize where he was before looked back at me. “I’m sorry.. I just..”

I sighed and sat down with him again, taking his hands in mine. “It’s just me there’s nothing to worry about.”

He nodded, “Can we stop by my house so I can change?”

I nodded and helped him up. We went to my car and got inside, driving over to his foster home. No one was home when we got there so he unlocked the door and we went up to his room. His room was the same as it was the day he got here, bare. All his belongings were still packed in moving boxes besides clothes and his school supplies. He opened the closet and grabbed some clothes, throwing them on his bed. 

“I’m gonna jump in the shower.” He kissed my cheek before grabbing his clothes again and going to the bathroom.

I nodded, laying back in his bed and going on my phone. Haley had texted me saying that her and Chaz were planning a party. How could they still want to party after everything that happened? I sighed and opened her messages.

‘Hey Mags! Me and Chaz are planning a party, it’s gonna be next weekend at my place :) You in??’ 

‘Haley I’m not really up for parties and I don’t think Andy is either.’

‘Boo Maggie :(‘

I locked my phone when Andy came back in the room. He plugged in his phone and laid down next to me.

“Haley’s planning a party.” I turned to look at him.

“I know, Chaz told me during school.” He sighed, “I really don’t want to go.”

“Neither do I.” I looked up at the ceiling. Little glow in the dark stars littered the ceiling and I chuckled when I saw them.

Andy looked up to see what I was laughing at. “Those were there when I got here!” He exclaimed in defense.

I continued to laugh making him playfully roll his eyes. “I swear!” He continued, pushing my shoulder.

“Alright alright!” I slowly stopped laughing and smiled at him. He smiled back at me, leaning in and we kissed.

We pulled back when we heard the front door open, indicating that his foster parents were home. We sat up and faced the doorway, his foster mom coming in. 

“Oh Andy, I didn’t realize Maggie was coming over.” She smiled, grabbing some of Andy’s dirty clothes from the ground and putting them in her laundry basket that she was carrying.

“We were actually just heading out.” Andy said, getting up. “Thank you for doing my laundry, I’ll do a load this weekend.”

“No need to thank me, have fun you too.” She winked at us before leaving the room.

Andy rolled his eyes, chuckling softly and took his phone off the charger. 

“Do you want to come with me later to pick up Louie? You don’t have to.” I asked, going back to my car with him.

“I’ll come with you but I think I’m going to wait in the car.” He said as he got in the car.

“That works for me.” I got in the car as well and started it. “In the meantime why don’t we go get something to eat?”

“I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is just an idea that I had to write after watching MA, it's certainly not done but I need to figure out where I'm going to take it.


End file.
